GEHR launches ECO-FIL-A-GEHR® Wood, a sustainable premium filament for professional 3D printing made of Sulapac®

GEHR, one of the leading producers of thermoplastic semi-finished products globally, introduces the first in the world 3D filament from sustainable Sulapac® material. The novel wood-based filament is designed for professional 3D printing with high dimensional stability and great elastic properties.

ECO-FIL-A-GEHR^® Wood made of Sulapac^® consists of recycled wood fibers mixed with biodegradable biopolymers. The novel premium eco-filament gives the printed objects a natural look and feel and a haptic touch. It can be used to print both extremely robust and stable parts as well as light, highly detailed objects.

GEHR has a broad portfolio of 3D filaments in a range of different materials developed for various customer needs. With the rising demand for sustainable solutions GEHR identified Sulapac^® as the perfect addition to their eco-line. Sulapac’s solution for 3D printing, a material from the Sulapac Flow family, stands out with its scientifically verified sustainability features. It is certified industrially compostable by BPI, contains 72% USDA certified bio-based content, and leaves no permanent microplastic or toxic load behind. Furthermore, the material complies with the EU and US FDA requirements for food contact materials, which makes it unique among the competitors.

 “We saw a clear demand in the market for a sustainable wood filament, which meets our very strict quality requirements and can be used in food contact applications. ECO-FIL-A-GEHR^® Wood is unlike any other wood filament currently available and something many of our customers have been waiting for,” says Giorgio Müller, Sales and Marketing Director at GEHR. Sulapac’s proven ability to live up to the expectations of the leading global luxury brands provided a starting point of confidence and mutual understanding for the cooperation.

ECO-FIL-A-GEHR^® Wood has a beautiful, natural appearance and a pleasant subtle odor coming from the natural wood it contains. The material has high dimensional stability and great elastic properties for 3D printing and filament extrusion. “The stability of the material is exceptional, and it works as well as or even better than other wood filaments or PLA,” says Sulapac’s Innovation Manager Joona Kontinen, who has been developing the Sulapac Flow material family for various applications.

When producing the filament, a deviation of 0,05mm in width is typically allowed. With Sulapac^® the deviation is less than a tenth of that, ensuring smooth production and stable quality. “The Sulapac material used in the ECO-FIL-A-GEHR^® Wood has the perfect combination of properties for 3D printing with no compromises in sustainability”, summarizes Kontinen.

The first customers will likely be the cosmetic brands already familiar with Sulapac materials who are eager to adopt ECO-FIL-A-GEHR^â Wood to be used in prototyping. Other typical applications include decorative components and point-of-sale displays. ECO-FIL-A-GEHR^â Wood is available both to businesses and private customers through GEHR’s online store.

“We are pleased to collaborate with GEHR, who as an established player in the industry with extensive know-how and experience in serving large cosmetic companies can provide significant added value for our cosmetic customers in 3D printing, but potentially also in many other areas,” outlines Suvi Haimi, CEO and Co-Founder of Sulapac. An excellent customer experience is secured by GEHR’s comprehensive technical documentation, operational effectiveness, and advanced customer support together with their basic pillars of independence, good partnership, and absolute reliability.

 

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Additional information:

Media kit with images

Suvi Haimi, CEO and Co-Founder, Sulapac
suvi.haimi@sulapac.com
+358 44 029 1203

Dr. Sebastian Anders, Business Development Manager, GEHR
anders@gehr.de
+49 621 8789-194

 

Sulapac Ltd accelerates the plastic waste-free future by replacing conventional plastic with sustainable materials that are beautiful and functional. Like nature. The Helsinki-based company was founded in 2016 by three scientists Dr. Suvi Haimi, Dr. Laura Tirkkonen-Rajasalo and Dr. Antti Pärssinen and was ranked one of Europe’s 100 hottest startups by WIRED UK in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Investors behind the award-winning, patented material innovation include CHANEL and Sky Ocean Ventures. Join the forerunners at sulapac.com.

 

GEHR is a family owned and operated company, who has been ranking amongst the global leading producers of thermoplastic semi-finished products for over 90 years. At our Mannheim headquarters and our branches all over the world, more than 250 employees produce and sell a wide range of extruded rods, sheets, tubes and profiles. Our independence, good partnership with our customers and absolute reliability are the basic pillars of our success.